Nigerian Customs, WCO Partner to Combat Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has inaugurated a four-week mentoring mission by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) to strengthen its capacity to detect and disrupt illicit financial flows, including money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
The mission, themed “Strengthening Nigeria Customs Service Capabilities to Effectively Detect and Disrupt Illicit Financial Flows,” was inaugurated on Monday, October 19, 2026, at the NCS Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
Funded by the United States Department of State, the initiative runs from October 18 to November 13, 2026, and will involve visits to selected Customs formations in Lagos and relevant partner agencies, alongside capacity-building sessions for officers in Lagos and Abuja.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, emphasised the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
Adeniyi cited reforms undertaken by Nigerian government agencies that contributed to the country’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in 2025, stressing the need to sustain the progress through stronger institutional cooperation.
He noted that gains recorded by one agency must be complemented by corresponding improvements across other institutions responsible for combating financial crimes.
Read Also:
The Customs chief also expressed confidence in the commitment and professionalism of officers participating in the mentoring exercise, emphasising the value of learning from the experiences of other Customs administrations.
“Competent officers who have passion for the job will give you all the cooperation to ensure we learn from other Customs administrations regarding what we are doing and how we can do better,” he said.
Earlier, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Nafiu Isiaku, introduced the WCO delegation, comprising Jorge Lasmar, Lisa Vallese and Laurent Szymkowiak.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Lasmar clarified that the engagement was designed to strengthen the operational capacity of the NCS rather than assess its existing Customs operations.
“The mission is not an assessment of Customs operations, but an engagement aimed at further strengthening the capacity of the Nigeria Customs Service,” he said.
Lasmar thanked the Service and the Comptroller-General for their guidance and cooperation, assuring that the delegation would submit a comprehensive report at the conclusion of the exercise.
The mentoring mission is expected to enhance the expertise of Customs officers, improve cooperation with relevant agencies and strengthen the Service’s ability to identify and disrupt illicit financial flows across Nigeria’s borders.
The initiative also underscores the importance of international partnerships and institutional capacity-building in addressing the financial networks that facilitate organised crime and terrorism.
By PRNigeria
